The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast developed a Professional Learning Community (PLC) Facilitators Guide to support educators in the implementation of recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse's. The practice guide focuses on the foundational reading skills that enable students to read words, relate those words to their…

"Leading for Literacy" provides tools and real-life examples to expand the benefits of a literacy approach that sparks students' engaged reading and thinking across disciplines, from middle school through community college. A companion to the landmark "Reading for Understanding," this book guides teachers, leaders, and…

With all of the reform models, research-based programs, leadership training, and professional development focused on reading and writing, we certainly know more about literacy today than we ever have before. So why are schools still suffering with low literacy levels? The answer lies in ineffective and unbalanced literacy instruction. Through the…

As teachers, administrators, and members of intervention teams use student performance data to inform instructional decisions and monitor implementation of tiered instruction in a Response to Intervention (RTI) model, assuring fidelity of implementation or treatment integrity continues to be a challenge. This article describes how one school…

As shown by MetLife's 2010 "Survey of the American Teacher," America's educators strongly believe that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and a career (85 percent). Additionally, according to MetLife's 2009 survey, 86 percent of teachers believe that setting high expectations for students will improve student…

"Policy Perspectives" presents visiting authors' own views and/or research on issues relevant to schools and communities nationwide. The idea that reading skill is largely a set of general-purpose maneuvers that can be applied to any and all texts is one of the main barriers to our children's overall low achievement in reading, argues…

The current economic and political environment has increased the pressure on higher education to deliver education that is cost-effective, standardized, and accessible. Summer bridge programs have traditionally been one of the economical ways to increase the access and retention of non-traditional, first-generation, or at-risk students. Retention…

This volume in the TESOL Classroom Practice Series asks one fundamental question, "How can teachers teach the students, not the book?" The response, given within "Using Textbooks Effectively", is to move beyond the textbook as a separate entity and view it instead as part of the ESOL curriculum process and as a tool for student learning. The…

Like educators around the country, staff in juvenile justice facilities recognize the serious academic challenges that many of their students face because of low levels of literacy achievement. This "Adolescent Literacy Guide" provides guidance to administrators and teachers who want to increase opportunities for students in juvenile…

Describes a districtwide thinking skills program developed by teachers in an Illinois elementary school. (MD)

Because both whole language and traditional skill-based instruction have strengths, educators should use a combined approach that includes direct instruction in phonics and reading comprehension skills along with whole language instruction. (Author/TE)

Erin Rogers is on a mission to change teachers' minds. As a literacy coach at Skyview High School in Vancouver, Washington, she advises other teachers on how to infuse literacy into lessons across the curriculum. It's not an easy job: many secondary school instructors see themselves as content experts and believe that teaching reading is best left…

Schools are raising standards to improve academic and technical achievement and intellectual growth for all groups of students, particularly at-risk students. This newsletter contains tools and strategies that school leaders and teachers are using successfully to help students meet higher expectations. It organizes the techniques into five…

A New York State rural school district converted a school bus into a self-contained Publishing Activities Center (PAC) that helps develop students' reading and writing skills. (MD)

The International Schools' Assessment (ISA) provides an insight into students' proficiency in the three domains of mathematical literacy, reading and writing, in each case derived from a single measure of performance on a particular day. This document is designed to help administrators and teachers interpret the reports provided to schools on…